Regular rail travellers will have seen a big poster campaign at stations across the country over the last few weeks. They warn of a change in ticket refund rules, which took effect on April Fool’s Day.

Starting on 1 April 2026, if you buy an “anytime” or off-peak ticket, allowing you to travel on a range of trains, you can only get a refund if you apply before the ticket becomes valid.

Consider someone spending an ambitious £193 on a one-way ticket for the 7am Avanti West Coast express from Manchester to London. If they decide by 11.59pm the night before not to travel, they can claim a refund (minus a £5 admin fee). That’s in sharp contrast to the previous rule, which allowed them to get their money back on the intended day of travel, or during the following four weeks.

The rail industry says the change is essential to crack down on fraud that is costing train operators (and, by extension, the taxpayer) £40m a year.

It was an absurdly easy way to defraud the railway at little or no risk. Someone would buy a ticket and set about trying to make the journey without having their ticket clipped or scanned. This was a trivial prospect at open stations (those without barriers, ranging from unstaffed halts to the huge junction at York). Or they might “tailgate” passengers through the automatic gates.

If the miscreant succeeded in making the journey without their ticket being checked en route, then they would put their ticket in for a refund, which reduced the cost of pretty much any journey to just £5 – the admin fee.

Some regular commuters saw it as a risk-free variant of fare-dodging. Sometimes their ticket would be registered as used, either by clipping or scanning. On that particular day, they therefore paid the appropriate fare – but often, they did not.

The system certainly had some honest beneficiaries: passengers who had bought tickets but then their plans had changed, for personal or professional reasons. They will lose out.

Now, there is no price advantage to buying ahead of time, so you might simply decide to buy on the day, shortly before travel. The ticket will cost the same, and you will eliminate the risk of needing to cancel. The catch is on intercity routes, where one benefit of booking ahead is to get a seat reservation. For some – but not all – journeys, you can get a reservation before you buy a ticket.

Just ahead of the change, I expressed on social media my view: “At last, a gaping loophole in the system will close.”

The response took me by surprise. Some said the real fraud is the ticket prices charged on the railway.

“Did the government pay you to write this?” So asked James Goodliffe, one of many readers unhappy about the accompanying article on tightening up rail ticket refunds.

Neil McG wrote: “Says the bloke who travels for free all over the world.”

Others condemned the move because it would penalise passengers who are ill on the day of travel. But the rail industry insists it will look generously at exceptional circumstances such as sickness. In the event of disruption, you will still be able to claim a refund if you can’t make the journey due to cancellations or excessive delays.

The rail commentator Philip Haigh said: “Perhaps a better answer is for rail companies to check tickets?” Gareth Dennis rejected the assertion that the old rules were open to fraud. “Not remotely a loophole,” he wrote. “The result of the de-staffing of the railway. Instead, an extremely lazy policy change that will result in less overall revenue as stung passengers never again choose rail.”

He may be proved right. In contrast, I have spoken to a number of regular rail travellers who had no idea – until they saw the station posters – that refunds were so easy to obtain.

Perhaps we could settle on one of the continental systems to eliminate fraud. Paper tickets often need to be stamped in a machine on the departure platform to indicate you are starting your journey; presenting an unmarked ticket to an inspector is regarded as fare-dodging. And in Italy, tickets purchases online are for specific trains – and are refundable up to the moment the service departs.

As always, your views are welcome: you can email me at s@hols.tv or tweet @SimonCalder.

Read more: The inside story of fare-dodging on the railways

Opening hours for contact centres and phone lines will be shifting around the bank holidays

The DVLA and DWP have confirmed exactly when their contact centres and phone lines will be open during the bank holiday weekend. Although, people needing to contact them during the bank holiday may have to plan ahead to get in touch.

The Easter weekend encompasses two bank holidays on Good Friday, April 3rd, and Easter Monday, April 6th. Bank holidays are generally not considered working days even within governmental departments, so the long weekend has potential to cause havoc for people needing to contact the departments or waiting for updates, payments and deliveries.

Department for Work and Pensions

The DWP took to X warning claimants: “Jobcentre Plus offices and phone lines will be closed on Fri 3 and Mon 6 Apr over the Easter period.”

The phone lines will also not be open during the Saturday or Easter Sunday as it is typically only open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm. Even people using their online Universal Credit account will also only typically get responses during weekdays.

The DWP contact number you must use will depend on why you’re contacting the department in the first place. Some of the most commonly sought after numbers can be found here on the Gov.uk website.

The offices and phone lines should be operating normally from Tuesday, April 7. However, it’s not just DWP contact centres being affected by the bank holidays.

Payments from the DWP due on either Good Friday or Easter Monday will not be paid on these days as most banks aren’t processing transactions. Instead, they will mostly be paid on the first working day before, which will be Thursday April 2nd.

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DVLA

Customers will be able to use DVLA’s online services throughout the Easter period. However, the department’s contact centres will be entirely closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

On Saturday, April 4th, the DVLA contact centre will have normal Saturday operating hours from 8am to 2pm. Normal operating hours will also continued from Tuesday, April 7th.

If you are waiting for deliveries from the DVLA, the department usually makes allowances for bank holidays and non-working days.

The Gov.uk website has a tool that can pinpoint people to the correct DVLA contact they need to solve their problem.

“Donald Trump’s actions in Iran will be considered one of the greatest policy blunders in the history of our country, failing to articulate objectives, alienating allies, and ignoring the kitchen table problems Americans are facing,” Schumer wrote on X. “He is completely unfit to be Commander-in-Chief and the whole world knows it.”

It took less than three minutes for an organised crime gang to steal a Renoir, Matisse and a Cezanne painting collectively worth around €9 million (£7.8m) from a private museum near Parma, Italy in March 2026. This is the second high profile art heist in recent months, after the theft of jewellery worth €9.5 million (£8.25m) from Paris’s Louvre in October 2025.

The items stolen are clearly valuable. But, as an expert in the governance of criminal markets, I can tell you acquiring the goods is only the first step. Turning this loot into cash is fraught with risk .

The Italian government takes the protection of its cultural heritage seriously, with a whole department of the Carabinieri (Italian police) devoted to the theft of arts and antiquities. This department scans the global art trade for forged, stolen and illegally exported treasures, demanding their return.

There is little chance of selling the stolen masterpieces on the international art market – even at a knockdown price. Whereas in the past dealers and auction houses might have turned a blind eye to the fishy origins of an outstanding artwork, over the past two decades the norms and procedures of the market have tightened considerably.

Anyone who buys art without checking whether a former owner has registered their interest in the object fails the bona fide (good faith) test. This means that they cannot obtain a good title and so the legal property right remains with the person or institution the artwork was stolen from. Also sales of stolen art where the seller sidestepped due diligence can be voided, meaning the money must be returned.

So reputable dealers and auction houses take their duty of care very seriously. At the very least they check the freely accessible Interpol database of stolen art before the sale. However, private databases – like that of the Art Loss Register – provide greater peace of mind, listing many more lost and stolen objects and limit searching to those with a legitimate interest in an object. When a register finds that someone is trying to bring a stolen artwork into the open market, they collect and pass on all information that could lead the police to its location or the people involved in its sale or storage.

Anything fresh from a museum wall is therefore unsaleable – unless it is jewellery that can be broken up and sold as (expensive) scrap. So, what might be the financial motivation behind this theft?

A Bond-style villain ordering favourite paintings to adorn their lair is an unlikely explanation. Yes, paintings could be stolen to order, but buying art on the open market to launder money is less risky. With high rewards for information or the return of stolen artworks, security and omerta (the code of silence) would have to be completely watertight when displaying stolen treasures.

On the other hand, “rewards for information” could be a motivation for theft in itself. In the middle of the last century, insurers regularly paid “finders” with so little scrutiny that high-value art theft became a profitable low-risk occupation. Institutions like the Art Loss Register broke that cosy coexistence and instead used any leads to help the police conduct recoveries and sting operations.

Nowadays, it is only safe to negotiate a deal over a “finder’s fee” when a stolen object has changed hands so many times that the line to the original thieves is lost in the mist of time. Even so, the ultimate “finder” would be lucky to realise more than 10% of the painting’s value, which they would also likely have to share with the thieves and various shady underworld owners along the way.

However, there is a third reason to steal artworks. Organised crime groups sometimes use stolen artworks as bargaining chips to negotiate more lenient punishment. For example, the Dresden jewellery thieves kept a few pieces of their haul aside to use their recovery to negotiate shorter sentences. Penitentos (“repentant ones”) who want to leave mafia organisations also sometimes provide information on the whereabouts of missing treasures. If there is a perception that stolen artworks can used to reduce a prison sentence or financial compensation package, their underworld value can grow far beyond the finder’s fee.

While it is difficult to verify the assertion that stolen artworks are used as collateral in drug deals, several unique treasures have indeed been retrieved from properties owned by senior mafiosi. These works have not been found in temperature controlled galleries, but rolled up in dank places that make museum curators weep with despair. Let us hope that the beautiful artworks from Parma are treated with respect until we see them again.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

Oil prices climbed more than $4 on Wednesday after president ​Donald Trump said the US will continue ‌to attack Iran, including energy and oil targets, over the next few weeks.

Brent crude futures rose $4.88, or 4.8 per cent, ​to $106.04 per barrel by 2am GMT. US West Texas ⁠Intermediate crude futures were up $4.17, or 4.2 per cent, to $104.29 per ​barrel.

In his address to the nation, Trump said almost all of America’s military objectives had been met, while rehashing many of his previous talking points about the conflict.

“Tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” he said, though he offered no further information on what the objectives had been.“As we celebrate this progress, we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran,” he added.

It comes after a new poll by CNN and SSRS found just one-third of Americans approve of the ongoing military action in the Middle East, with 67 per cent saying they don’t believe Trump has a clear plan for handling the situation.

Key points recap: Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Iran

On Wednesday night President Donald Trump delivered a 17-minute national address on Iran.

Here’s a recap of key points in case you missed it:

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• Trump announced that the U.S. military’s “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” though offered no further information on those objectives.

• The president appeared to slur his words on several occasions during the speech.

• He claimed the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” had “delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield, victories like few people have ever seen before.”

• Trump repeated many of his same justifications for the month-old bombing campaign against Iran, including his claim there was an imminent threat of Tehran producing a nuclear weapon.

• He paid tribute to the 13 U.S. service members killed in the conflict and claimed their families had all told him to “finish the job.”

• Trump also once again blamed the rise in gas prices in the U.S. on the Iranian conflict and boasted the economy he had cultivated was strong enough to withstand it.

Read more

Mike Bedigan2 April 2026 03:33

Democrats slam Trump speech for failing to offer answers

Democrats have criticised Donald Trump’s prime-time address to the American people on the war in Iran as “incoherent” and as doing little to answer “the most basic questions”.

Senator Mark Warner noted that Trump owed Americans more answers about a conflict that has driven up prices on gas “alongside rising prices for diesel, fertiliser, aluminium, and other essentials, with consequences that will continue to ripple through the economy for a long time to come” in his statement.

Senator Chris Murphy released a statement that said the “speech was grounded in a reality that only exists in Donald Trump’s mind”.

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Murphy said that “no one in America, after listening to that speech, knows whether we are escalating or de-escalating.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 April 2026 05:13

Ex-counterterrorism chief says best time to end war is ‘now’

Trump’s former counterterrorism chief, Joe Kent, has warned that the best time to get out of the Iran war “is now”.

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President Donald Trump said US forces will “finish the job” in Iran soon as “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” offering a defence of the war on Wednesday night in his first national address since the conflict began more than a month ago.

“As we celebrate this progress, we think especially of the thirteen American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran,” he added.

Mr Kent in a post on X said: “We do not honor our fallen by getting more of our best men & women killed in the Middle East.

“We honor our fallen by learning from our past & only shedding American blood in defense of our nation. The best time to get out of a war of choice is now, before we lose more lives.”

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Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 April 2026 05:06

Oil jumps over 4% after Trump’s speech on Iran war

Oil prices climbed more than $4 this morning after president ​Donald Trump said the US will continue ‌to attack Iran, including energy and oil targets over the next few weeks, and did not commit to a specific timeline to ​end the war.

Brent crude futures rose $4.88, or 4.8 per cent, ​to $106.04 per barrel by 2am GMT.

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US West Texas ⁠Intermediate crude futures were up $4.17, or 4.2 per cent, to $104.29 per ​barrel.

Trump said in a televised speech to the ​nation that the US military had nearly completed its ​goals in its war with Iran, and that the conflict would soon ‌end, but gave no specific timeline.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 April 2026 04:30

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Trump criticised over Iran war address to nation

Members of congress and military experts have started expressing their reactions to Donald Trump’s address to the nation on his Iran war.

Brett McGurk, a former senior national security adviser under presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, said: “I think this war is going to continue for some time.”

Trump staunchly defended his handling of the month-old war on Iran, ​saying the US military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic “back to the Stone Age”.

Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in a post on X said: “I wanted so much for President Trump to put America First. That’s what I believed he would do. All I heard from his speech tonight was WAR WAR WAR.”

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“Nothing to lower the cost of living for Americans. Nothing to reduce our near $40 trillion in debt. Nothing to save Social Security, which goes bankrupt in just a few years. Nothing to lower the cost of insurance. Nothing to address jobs for Americans. Nothing about education for our children. Nothing about our children’s future. Nothing for America’s future. I’m so beyond done,” she said.

Senator Chuck Schumer asked: “Has there ever been a more rambling, disjointed, and pathetic presidential war speech?”He added: “He is completely unfit to be Commander-in-Chief and the whole world knows it.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar2 April 2026 04:28

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In pictures: Donald Trump address nation on Iran

Mike Bedigan2 April 2026 04:00

Trump blames ‘short term increase’ of gas prices on Iran’s ‘deranged terror attacks’

Donald Trump once again blamed the rise in gas prices in the U.S. on the Iranian conflict, and once again boasted that the economy he had cultivated was strong enough to withstand it.

“This short term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict,” he said.

“This is yet more proof that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons. They will use them, and they will use them quickly. It would lead to decades of extortion, economic pain and instability, worse than we can ever imagine.”

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He added: “The United States has never been better prepared economically to confront this threat. You all know that we built the strongest economy in history.

“In one year, we’ve taken a dead and crippled country, I hate to say that, but we were a dead and crippled country after the last administration, and made it the hottest country anywhere in the world, by far.”

Mike Bedigan2 April 2026 03:45

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Trump delivers jaw-dropping and slurred Iran address that offers no end in sight to unpopular war

Analysis: Andrew Feinberg delivers his verdict on Donald Trump’s address to the nation:

Mike Bedigan2 April 2026 03:15

UAE says it is engaging with missile and drone attacks from Iran

Moments before Donald Trump began his remarks, officials from the United Arab Emirates revealed that its defense systems were engaging with drone and missile attacks originating from Iran.

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“The Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in various parts of the country are the result of the UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones,” the UAE Ministry of Defense wrote online.

“UAE Air Defences system are actively engaging with missiles and UAV threats MOD asserts that the sounds heard across the country are the result of ongoing engaging operations of missiles and UAV’s.”

The MOD also warned civilians not to approach, touch or photograph debris that had fallen onto the ground as a result of any interceptions.

Mike Bedigan2 April 2026 03:00

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Obama’s speech writer blasts Trump’s national address

Barack Obama’s former speech writer Jon Favreau blasted the rambling and self-aggrandizing nature of Donald Trump’s remarks Wednesday night.

“I’m actually quite glad that primetime viewers are being exposed to the insane Truth Social rants the rest of us have been reading,” referring to the president’s frequent posts on his social media website, that often boast of his own achievements.

Mike Bedigan2 April 2026 02:47

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John Swinney has made reducing child poverty his number one priority as First Minister.

The SNP Government is set to miss a landmark target to reduce child poverty across Scotland by a “considerable margin”.

Then first minister Nicola Sturgeon unveiled ambitious plans in 2016 to reduce the level of child poverty to at most 10 per cent by 2030.

John Swinney has since made helping more kids out of poverty his “number one priority” since taking on the top job in Scottish politics.

But a report published today by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said that despite progress being made on the issue thanks to devolved policies – such as the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment – it was unlikely the target would be met.

The child poverty rate is currently around 21 per cent, compared to 28 per cent across the UK as a whole and 38 per cent in Greater London.

But experts said the lower level is largely due to housing costs in Scotland being substantially cheaper than those in the south of England, with Scots also more likely to live in a socially rented property.

The IFS also said there has never been a child poverty rate of 10 per cent in the UK, including in the 1960s when inequality in society was far lower than now.

READ MORE: SNP candidate Tracy Carragher who defended sex offender Jordan Linden suspended by partyREAD MORE: Joani Reid reports ‘deeply concerning’ as SNP calls for probe into ‘murky situation’

Tom Wernham, senior research economist, said: “Scotland’s devolved benefit system is reducing income inequality and child poverty.

“Further increases in devolved benefits are the most direct way to continue to reduce child poverty.

“But the scale of benefit increases needed to achieve the very stretching 10 per cent child relative poverty target would cost billions of pounds per year and increase disincentives to work. Increases to employment and the wages of lower earners could, in principle, reduce poverty and boost Scottish Government revenues at the same time, but to deliver such increases at scale in practice would be very challenging.

“If the next Scottish Government also prioritises the living standards and life chances of children from lower-income families, a mix of benefit, labour market and public service policies will likely be needed.

“In the context of a constrained budget, it will also need to be clear eyed about what its key priorities are.”

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader, said: “John Swinney and the SNP have always been more interested in setting targets than meeting them, but it is particularly shameful on an issue as serious as child poverty.

“A Scottish Labour government will work across government to tackle the root causes of poverty – fixing the basics and making sure our economy and our services work for Scottish families.

“Scottish Labour will fix the crisis in our NHS so people aren’t locked out of work through ill-health, build an education system that helps every child succeed, cut housing costs with the most ambitious housebuilding programme in the history of devolution, and deliver more well-paid jobs across our society.”

Jamie Greene, Scottish Lib Dems economy spokesman, said: “Despite the grand rhetoric from the SNP, they have left thousands of children in poverty.

“For the past nineteen years, the SNP have failed to use the powers they have had at their disposal to move the dial.

“Just like Nicola Sturgeon broke her promise to close the attainment gap, John Swinney has broken his promise to reduce child poverty. They simply cannot be trusted.”

Shirley-Anne Somerville, SNP candidate for Dunfermline, said: “Scotland has the lowest levels of child poverty on these islands – that’s thanks to SNP action in government and that’s exactly what you get from John Swinney’s strong leadership.

“John Swinney has made eradicating child poverty his number one mission and we are making good progress, despite complete failure from the Labour Party to get a grip of the cost of living crisis.

“Our game-changing Scottish Child Payment is unavailable anywhere else in the UK, and our plans for year round childcare for every child from nine months until the end of primary school will be transformative.

“The reality is though, our mission on child poverty is undermined by Westminster governments that have punished Scottish families time and again – only through a fresh start with independence can we break free of broken, Brexit Britain and build a fairer, wealthier, Scotland.”

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President Donald Trump’s primetime address on the Iran war featured extraordinary claims about Venezuela, confusing war timelines, and promises about gas prices as fuel costs surge

President Donald Trump appeared for a primetime national address on Wednesday night to deliver an official update on his war with Israel against Iran, which has sent petrol prices soaring, resulted in the deaths of at least 13 American service members and sent the global economy into turmoil.

He and senior U.S. officials have for weeks given conflicting statements over when the costly war will conclude, what its objectives are and whether or not the administration will decide to deploy American boots on the ground in Iran. Trump himself has grown increasingly irritated with news coverage and has failed to find a way to explain why he started the war – or how he will end it – that resonates with the wider public.

But on the national stage, with prepared remarks before him, the president offered neither fresh information on the ongoing conflict nor clarity on how he will proceed in the days and weeks ahead. Instead, he appeared to improvise at length about Venezuela, supposed U.S. stockpiles of gas, the final words of slain U.S. troops and the superiority of American firepower even as he has demanded assistance from NATO allies.

READ MORE: Artemis 2 launch: Jeremy Clarkson trolled over bizarre posts on NASA moon missionREAD MORE: Seventh British tourist dies after falling ill on £6k Cape Verde holiday

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1. Trump claims U.S. troops ‘took’ Venezuela

Trump claimed on Wednesday that American troops did a “masterful job” in “taking the country of Venezuela,” a comment that follows weeks of him discussing “running” the South American nation while leveraging its political transition to benefit American oil companies. “I also want to thank our troops for the masterful job in taking the country of Venezuela in a matter of minutes,” Trump declared during his speech, referring to his unexpected nighttime military assault on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, in January that led to numerous casualties and the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro, reports the Mirror US.

“That hit was quick, lethal, violent and respected by everyone all over the world,” he asserted.

However, in reality, Maduro’s capture faced severe backlash from both U.S. allies and adversaries, including at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the day of his court appearance.

2. Trump claims Americans ‘have so much gas’ as prices skyrocket

Emphasising his perspective on the robustness of the U.S. economy under his leadership, which is facing unprecedented disapproval among Americans, Trump attempted to alleviate concerns about escalating petrol prices as the war continues.

Arguing that the U.S. has ample fuel reserves due to his “drill baby, drill” stance on domestic oil production, Trump stated that the nation produces more oil and gas than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined, according to The Associated Press.

The U.S. was the top oil producer globally in 2025, pumping more than 13 million barrels per day. Russia and Saudi Arabia ranked second and third worldwide, each producing more than 9.5 million barrels per day, as per the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

This week, US petrol prices climbed beyond an average of $4 per gallon for the first time since 2022, as the Iran conflict continues driving fuel costs upwards globally. The last occasion US motorists collectively paid this much at forecourts was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

3. Trump adjusts war’s timeline to ‘two or three’ more weeks

Since the US and Israel initially struck Iran on 28 February, the president and his senior officials have provided inconsistent responses regarding the conflict’s duration.

Combat “will continue until all of our objectives are achieved,” Trump told reporters on 29 February. He subsequently suggested it would conclude in four, five or even six weeks. Now with the war approaching its sixth week, Trump continues wavering between declaring complete victory, suggesting he will soon be prepared to withdraw from the Middle East, and threatening to escalate it further.

On Wednesday, Trump again extended the deadline for the war, which the Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimates is costing the US approximately $891.4 million daily.

“We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly. We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” he stated. “We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.”

4. Trump urges Americans to consider the war as an investment in their future

“This is a true investment in your children’s and grandchildren’s future,” Trump stated. “The whole world is watching, and they can’t believe the power, strength and brilliance. They just can’t believe what they’re seeing!” However, U.S. allies abroad are scarcely impressed by America’s military capabilities, and appeals to join Trump’s conflict have been largely rebuffed.

Amidst soaring petrol prices, Washington has encountered widespread condemnation from European allies, including U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

“It is increasingly clear that as the world continues down this volatile path, our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe,” Starmer remarked at a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday after declining to join the war.

Drawing closer to Europe represents a clear indication of British foreign policy moving away from the so-called ‘special relationship.’

5. Trump’s assertions about state of conflict contradict reality

Trump on Wednesday described Iranian leadership as a “new regime,” despite the current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, being the successor of the slain Ali Khamenei. He also maintained that the war is almost finished, before suggesting it could continue for up to three more weeks. Tehran has stated there have been no substantial negotiations with the US, and Trump has repeatedly threatened to further intensify the war.

Democrats condemned the address as “incoherent” and as doing little to address “the most basic questions of the American people,” according to statements from two Democratic lawmakers issued on Wednesday.

Sen. Mark Warner observed that Trump owed Americans more clarity about a conflict that has pushed up prices on petrol “alongside rising prices for diesel, fertiliser, aluminium, and other essentials, with consequences that will continue to ripple through the economy for a long time to come.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Murphy issued a statement declaring the “speech was grounded in a reality that only exists in Donald Trump’s mind.” Murphy continued to note that “no one in America, after listening to that speech, knows whether we are escalating or deescalating.”

Follow our live blog for the latest updates by clicking here.

Ben McCulloch – son of Scottish gangland boss Brian McCulloch – was filmed partying with other out-of-control prisoners.

A grieving family have demanded a crackdown on killers trolling from behind bars after being sickened by jail TikTok videos.

The mother and sisters of slain Stephen Quigley are pleading for a new law to hammer gloating criminals after the Record revealed a series of videos filmed inside crisis-hit Addiewell nick.

Katie Quigley has told of her pain as she watched killer Ben McCulloch – son of Scottish gangland boss Brian McCulloch – party with other out-of-control prisoners in a video that was put on TikTok.

Along with daughters Catrina, 33, and Margaret, 37, she is pleading for a crackdown on the toxic masculinity and macho lawlessness that they claim the Scottish Prison Service seems unable to keep under control.

The recent TikTok video from McCulloch – featuring violence, bullying and drugs – glorified the 24-hour party life he and pals, stripped to the waist, claim to be living the high life at HMP Addiewell, in West Lothian.

That video followed an earlier shameful Instagram post that emerged from HMP Shotts, where bully McCulloch, 31, and murderer pal Ross Fisher were photographed. A caption on the post openly mocked the men they killed – saying “They’re deed and we’re no – hahah.”

It is understood that McCulloch has been prosecuted for abuse of smuggled mobile phones – and received “concurrent” sentences, which added zero time to his sentence.

Katie Quigley, whose demand for a clampdown is being backed by MSP Paul O’Kane, said: “I cannot put into words just how hurtful it was to see this man’s face on a photo, with a caption on it referring to the death of my son and the fact his killer is doing ‘easy time’.

“Ben McCulloch killed my boy, who was meant to be his best friend. His lawyer told the court that he was full or remorse but he has not one shred of remorse. If he did, how could he be posting videos about having 24 hour parties?

“And what punishment has he received? We were told by the SPS he was given concurrent sentences, which is no punishment and no deterrent at all.”

Katie, from Neilston, Renfrewshire, said she would like Scottish ministers to pass a specific law that ensures extra time behind bars for any prisoner who uses a mobile phone to create video content that cause torment for the family of victims.

She said: “I had to identify my dead son and that awful day will stay with me for as long as I am alive. Is it too much to ask for prisons to stop these gangsters reminding the families of all the people they have killed or victimised that they are running the jails?

“I really does look from the videos that things are out of control. How can you have a cell that is full of drunk men having a party inside, taking videos, somehow getting an internet connection to post all their horrible footage?

“It just breaks my heart to think of the lack of remorse that is evident in every one of those videos.”

Stephen’s sister Catrina, 33, said the family has been forced to endure a “life sentence” after their loss in 2021.

McCulloch, now 31, was jailed for nine-and-a-half years for knifing Stephen before leaving him to die on a pavement outside Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that Stephen would have lived if McCulloch had taken him to A and E.

Catrina said: “Stephen was best mates with Ben and they were on good terms before he killed him. His lawyer bleated in court about his remorse but his behaviour in prison is a disgrace.

“We need to stop the flood of phones into prisons and we need to give proper punishments to those who are torturing families like ours from inside jails.

“As it stands there is no deterrent. Vulnerable young men are looking at these prisoners like role models and thinking they can get in with the mob while doing easy time in jail themselves.”

The Daily Record told recently how Ben McCulloch and other cons at HMP Addiewell were raving in their cells, posting videos that appeared to show men out of their heads on drugs and prison hooch.

The apparent lads party videos were captions with claim that prison time is easy and a 24 hour party.

Further videos emerged from top security HMP Shotts and Barlinnie, where a growing craze appears to be emerging for young prisoners to brag about the fun times they are enjoying behind bars.

And the Quigley family had previously been outraged at the Instagarm content that featured McCulloch with killer Ross Fisher, 34 – who was one of a gang of four who were jailed for the gangland murder of Kenny Reilly in Maryhill, Glasgow, in 2018.

Ben McCulloch’s dad Brian, now 55, was a ringleader in a multi-million-pound drug plot that was cracked after a police surveillance sting.

In 2009 the High Court in Glasgow heard how McCulloch plotted with other gangsters.

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Due to the bugging of McCulloch’s BMW, police raided properties in Glasgow, Paisley and Clydebank, recovering drugs with a street value of £9million, along with firearms and almost £500,000 in cash.

A ring of steel was thrown around the High Court in Glasgow ahead of their sentencing hearing, amid fears of an escape bid from the gang.

Officers from the tactical firearms unit, armed with sub-machine guns, stalked the court building while the police helicopter circled above.

The police operation, codenamed Operation Lockdown, ran from August 2007 to February 2009, involved up to 100 officers on any given day and cost an estimated £2.7million. Brian McCulloch got 10 years for his leading role in the gang.

Labour MSP Paul O’Kane said Scotland needs an overhaul of the way it deals with the taunting that comes from inside prisons on illicit videos.

He claimed that his plea for action on the Quigleys’ case had been fobbed off by justice minister Angela Constance when he raised it in a letter.

O’Kane said: “I have been supporting the Quigley family for some time and I know how shocked the whole community in Neilston was at Stephen’s killing. It is horrific that the family’s pain is being compounded by the action of those found guilty in prison.”

“It is clear that the SNP Government take a soft touch approach and have not acted to get a grip of the situation within our prisons – with mobile phones being smuggled in and so called parties taking place in prison wings which are being filmed for social media”

“My pleas to Angela Constance have fallen on deaf ears and this is heartbreaking for the family”

“We clearly need a new Government in Scotland to take decisive action on securing our prison estate and looking at the whole issue of punishments for taunting victims of crime from behind bars.”

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A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “We understand the lasting impact this kind of offending has on families and the significant distress such videos can cause.

“Our staff work hard to keep prisons safe and secure, using all available technology and intelligence to prevent illicit items, including mobile phones, entering our establishments.

“While we do not comment on individuals, we continue to work with Police Scotland, and other partners, to take action against those who attempt to breach our security.”

The Scottish Government is currently restricted in statements that might be made on future policy.

A previous statement stated: “This is an operational matter for the SPS which uses a range of technology and intelligence to stop illicit items reaching our prisons.

“As previously announced in 2026-2027, we are investing just over £1billion in our prisons to support frontline staff.”

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He wrote: “All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the US, we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.

Dr Punam Krishan has spoken about the ‘aftermath’ of suffering from cancer

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A GP has highlighted a side-effect of cancer that she says ‘nobody tells you about’. Macmillan Cancer Support estimates that around 3.5 million people in the UK are living with cancer.

This equates to one person being diagnosed every 75 seconds in the country, and 168,000 individuals dying from it each year – that’s 460 people daily. The combination of an ageing population, improved diagnostics and increased public awareness means the number of recorded cases is expected to rise annually.

Dr Punam Krishan is one of these individuals. The Glasgow-based GP, known for her appearances on daytime television and informative posts on social media, revealed in January 2026 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Thankfully, her recovery is going well. However, after seeing a patient at her practice, she was reminded of something she believes all cancer patients should be aware of.

She stated: “I wanted to share something with you, something that nobody really tells you about cancer. And something that I realised I shared in common with a patient today and it’s the bit that comes after. It’s the health anxiety, which is a whole new kind of anxiety by the way.

“Now as most of you know, I’ve not long finished treatment for breast cancer myself and I am still very much healing, still taking it day by day. And physically, I’m getting there but mentally it’s been a very different kind of healing. I mean, even just yesterday to give you an example, I was in the car and I felt a wee pain in my arm and within minutes my mind had spiralled to, ‘what if it’s back?’ and I found myself calling my husband and then my mum and my best friend just needing that bit of reassurance.

“And then I had to really, really catch myself, take a breath, slow the heck down and go back to the little mantras that I have learned and the tools that my therapist has given me over this time just to bring myself back to the present moment, control the controllables and the pain settled within a few minutes. It was nothing serious but that feeling, that jump from zero to a hundred, anyone that knows and has been there, it is so real. And in medicine, of course, we call this health anxiety, where your brain becomes hyper-alert to every single sensation and it starts to scan for danger.

“But after something serious like cancer, everything feels different. And I sometimes think of it as an aftermath anxiety. Honestly, it feels like the mother of all anxieties because your brain isn’t imagining danger, it’s remembering it and your body has been through something so real and your mind is just trying to protect you. Just sometimes it overdoes it.

“So today then, in clinic, I saw this clearly again in front of me, a patient who has also had cancer and she was telling me she just can’t switch off the worry sometimes. She’s barely sleeping some days, her mind keeps going back to, ‘what if it’s still there?’ and she said that she almost felt like I wouldn’t understand and was worried about sharing this because people around her keep telling her, ‘oh, it’s nothing’.

“But sitting here with her I was thinking, ‘I see you, I get it, because I’m in that space too’ and I shared that with her and it’s not nothing. This is a real and valid feeling and it just made me realise how little we talk about this part. The fear of recurrence, the hyper-vigilance, that loss of trust in your own body. And we’re not really taught it, not as patients and if I’m really honest, not even as doctors. I wasn’t taught this. I sadly had to learn this by living through it.

“So if you’ve ever felt that shift from calm to panic or find yourself checking, worrying, needing reassurance, you are not imagining it and you are not over-reacting. Your mind, it is responding to something that your body has genuinely been through and I don’t think that that just switches off overnight.

“Oh my goodness, I wish it did, but with time, with support and a lot of self-compassion, it should start to soften as you begin to find your new normal. So if you are in this space just now, just know that you are not alone. And if you are supporting someone more importantly that is going through this, please don’t minimise what they are feeling. Give them a big hug, give them the space to share. This is part of their healing journey as well.”

Why are cancer cases increasing?

Cancer cases are on the rise – and projections suggest this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. An ageing population combined with improved diagnostics and greater public awareness partly explains this – but additional factors are also at play.

Firstly, the UK’s population is growing, which means there are more individuals who can develop the disease. While older people remain more vulnerable to cancer, certain types are appearing in growing numbers of younger people – particularly bowel cancer.

Advances in cancer treatment mean more people are surviving the disease. The number of individuals living with cancer in the UK has risen from nearly 3 million in 2020 to almost 3.5 million in 2025.